Partition structure for articles of furniture



L. SURPIERRE Filed May '7, 1952 PARTITION STRUCTURE F'R ARTICLES OF FURNITURE oef. v25, 1955 An/L' United States Patent Ofice PARTITION STRUCTURE FOR ARTICLES OF FURNITURE Lon Surpierre, La Louviere, Belgium Application May 7, 1952, Serial No. 286,478 Claims priority, application Belgium May 12, 1951 3 Claims. (Cl. 189-36) The present invention relates to. articles of furniture.

More particularly, the present invention relates to articles of furniture having adjustable partition walls.

In articles of furniture of the above type, it is well known to interconnect the adjustable partition Walls by elements which are independent of the partition walls. As a result it often happens that these connecting elements are lost or misplaced and are not at hand when it is desired, for example, to insert an additional partition wall.

It is an object of this invention to overcome this disadvantage by providing connecting elements which cannot become separated from partition walls of the above type.

Another object of the present invention is to provide connecting elements of theV above type which may be used withhorizontal partition walls.

A further object of the present invention is to provide connecting elements of the above type which may be used with vertical partition walls.

YetV another object of the present invention is to provide connecting elements of the above type which are capable of supporting the weight of articles located on the partition.

The objects of the present invention also include the provisionv of connecting elements of the above type which` are of an exceedingly simple construction while at the same time being easily manipulated so that one partition wall may be quickly and eifectively engaged or disengaged from another partition wall.

With the above objects in view the present invention mainly consists of an article of furniture in which a pair of partitions are located at right angles with respect to each other. One of these partitions is formed with an opening adjacent to the other of the partitions. In order to connect the partitions to each other, a mounting means is associated with the same, and this mounting means comprises an elongated member having a L11-shaped por,- tion extending through the above-mentioned opening and having opposite legs which are longer .than this opening and located from each other by a distance which is only slightly greater than the thickness of the partition having the opening therein, so that this` elongated member is slidable on the latter partition substantially in the plane thereof while being permanently joined thereto.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to itsV construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. ll is a fragmentary, partly sectional view of an article of furniture constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, sectional view illustrating one type of construction which may be used in the present invention;

Figs. 3 and 4 are fragmentary sectional views illustrat- 2,721,632 Patented Oct. 25, 1955 ing another type of construction in accordance with the present invention and in different positions, respectively;

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are fragmentary, sectional views respec-Y tively illustrating further embodiments of the invention similar to that shown in Figs. 3 and 4;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary, sectional view of yet another embodiment of the present invention; and

Fig.` 9 is a fragmentary, sectional view of a device adapted to be used with a construction of the type illus. trated in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Fig. l an article of furniture having permanent vertical partitions 2 and permanent horizontal partitions 4. In order to divide up the spaces between the partitions 2 and 4, the structure of Fig. l is provided with adjustable vertical partitions 3 and adjustable horizontal partitions S.

The adjustable vertical partitions 3 are adapted to be. connected to the horizontal partitions 4, or the horizontal partitions 5, by a construction illustrated on an enlarged scale in Fig. 2, which shows a pair of vertical partitions 3 respectively extending from the top and bottom sides of a horizontal partition 4.

As` is shown in Figs. l and 2, the horizontal partitions 4 are formed with openings lil adjacent an edge thereof. The partitions 3 have edges located next to the partition 4 and extending across an opening lil thereof. As is shown in Fig. 2, each partition 3 is provided adjacent its lower edge with an opening 6 of substantially rectangular shape. Extending through this opening 6 is a member 7 of a substantially U-shape and having opposite legs 8 and 9 located on opposite sides of the partition 3 and beingspaced from each other by a distance which is only slightly greater than the thickness of the partition 3.

All lof the above described parts may, if desired, be. made of metal. The element 7, however, must be made of metal or a material capable of being deformed to a nal shape as shown in Fig. 2. When the member 7 is placed through the opening 6, the legs 8 and 9 thereof are spread apart from each other until they are located on opposite sides of the partition 3 with the U-shaped portion of the member 7 extending through the opening 6, Then the legs 8 and 9 are moved towards each other until they are located apart from each other by a distance only slightly greater than the thickness of the partition 3.

The legs 8 and 9 are longer than the Opening 6, but shorter than the distance between the lower edge of the partition 3, as viewed in Fig. 2, and the edge of opening 6 most distant from this lower edge. Thus, the member 7 is slidable substantially in the plane of the partition 3, to permit the latter to be mounted on a partition, 4, but the member 7 is, for all practical purposes, permanently attached to the partition 3 since it must be deformed to be separated therefrom. In this way they member '7 cannot become lost and is alwaysv at hand when it is desired to inserta structure shown in Fig. 1.

As is shown in Fig. 2, the legs 8 and 9 of memberV 7 extend through the opening 10, past the top edge of the lower partition 3 and on opposite sides of the latter so that the member 7 not only locates a vertical partition on the top side of partition 4, but it also cooperates with a vertical partition on the lower side of the partition 4 to maintain this vertical partition upright.

In Fig. 9 there is shown a device for maintaining a partition 3 vertical when there is no other partition 3 located thereover. This device comprises a member havingV a head resting on the partition 4 over the opening 10 thereof and` having a pair of legs extending downwardly therefrom through the opening 10 and respectively on opposite sides of the top part of a partition 3 to maintain the latter upright.

Figs. 3-8 illustrate various structures for mounting a or removed fromV partition 3 in the.

horizontal partition 5 on vertical partitions 3 or 4. As is shown in Fig. 3, a horizontal partition 5 is provided adjacent an end thereof with an opening 15, and the vertical partition 3 (or 4) is provided with an opening 16. A member 11 has a U-shaped portion extending through the opening and a pair of opposite legs 13 and 14 located on opposite sides of the partition 5. This member 11 is made of metal, or the like, and is bent after insertion through opening 15 to the shape shown in Fig. 3. lt will be noted that the legs 13 and 14 are longer than the opening 15 so that member 11 is permanently joined to member 5 while being slidable in the plane thereof, since the legs 13 and 14 are located from each other by a distance only slightly greater than the thickness of partition 5. The lower leg 13 of the structure shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is provided with a free end portion 12 extending at right angles to the plane of partition 5. This free end portion 12 of member 11 is passed through the opening 16 when the partition 5 is connected to the partition 3 so that the member 11 assumes the position illustrated in Fig. 4 when partition 5 is in its connected position.

Instead of providing a bent portion 12 on the lower leg 13 of member 11, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, it is possible to provide a bent portion 12 on the upper leg 14, as shown in Fig. 5. This bent portion 12' is a free end portion of the upper leg 14 which performs the same function as the free end portion 12 discussed above.

When the partition 5 is to carry a relatively heavy weight, it is possible that the member 11 will become bent, and, to avoid this result, the construction of Figs. 6 or 7, respectively, are more suitable. The structure of Fig. 6 is almost identical with that of Fig. 5 except that the free end portion of leg 14 is welded at 17 to the end of leg 13. Thus the two legs are rigidly connected together and can support a heavier weight than is the case with the embodiments of Figs. 4 or 5. Substantially the same results are produced by the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 7 where the free end portion of leg 14 is bent to a hook-shape having a free end portion 18 located beneath the free end portion of leg 13. Thus, in the embodiments of Figs. 6 and 7 the two legs 13 and 14 of the member 11 are connected together in such a way as to effectively support a fairly heavy weight.

As is shown in Fig. 1, the vertical partitions 2 and 3 are provided adjacent their forward and rear edges with vertically arranged openings 16, two rows of these openings being located adjacent each of the forward and rear edges of these partitions. Fig. 8 shows, on an enlarged scale, member 19 adapted to be associated with one of these openings 16. The member 19 has a U-shaped portion extending through the opening 16 and opposite legs which are longer than this opening and spaced from each other by a distance only slightly greater than the thickness of the partitions 2 or 3, so that the member 19 is permanently joined to the partitions 2 or 3.

Each of the members 19 has a ledge portion 20 extending from one of the legs thereof in a direction normal to the plane of the vertical partition on 'which a member 19 is mounted, as shown in Fig. 8. These ledge portions 2t) are adapted to support a horizontal partition 5, as is clearly shown in Fig. 8. By providing two vertical rows of openings 16 adjacent the forward and rear edges of the partitions 2 or 3, it is possible to have the ledge portions 20 associated with one of the rows 16 extending from one side of a vertical partition 2 or 3, and the ledge portions associated with the other of the vertical rows extending from the opposite side of the vertical partition. Thus, each vertical partition would have adjacent one of the vertical edges thereof one set of members 19 located in one vertical row and having ledge portions 20 extending to the right, for example, and another set of members 19 located in the other vertical row of openings 16 and having ledge portions extending to the left. In this way it is possible for horizontal partitions 5 to be mounted on opposite sides of the same vertical partition without interference from the ledge portions 20.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of articles of furniture differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in articles of furniture having adjustable partitions, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An article of furniture, comprising, in combination, a first partition having opposite side surfaces and being formed with an opening passing therethrough; a second partition normal to said first partition and having an edge located next to one of said side surfaces of said first partition; a third partition of substantially the same thick ness as said second partition and being located in the same plane as said second partition on the opposite side of said first partition from said second partition and having an edge located next to the other of said side surfaces of said first partition, said third partition being formed with an opening passing through the same adjacent said edge thereof; and a U-shaped member extending through said opening in said third partition and having opposite legs located on opposite sides of said third partition, extending beyond said edge thereof through said opening of said first partition and having free end portions respectively located on opposite sides of said second partition so as to removably interconnect said partitions.

2. An article of furniture as defined in claim 1 and wherein said legs of said U-shaped member are located from each other by a distance only slightly greater than the thickness of said third partition.

3. An article of furniture as defined in claim 2 and wherein at least one of said legs of said U-shaped member is longer than said opening of said third partition but shorter than the distance from said edge of said third partition to the edge of said opening thereof most distant from said edge of said third partition.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS 304,865 Scarles Sept. 9, 1884 1,855,242 Jarvis Apr. 26, 1932 1,984,473 Gibson et a1 Dec. 18, 1934 2,108,950 Stober Feb. 22, 1938 2,500,309 Dunham Mar. 14, 1950 2,538,958 Augenfeld Ian. 23, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 248,272 Great Britain Mar. 4, 1926 342,048 Great Britain Jan. 29, 1931 457,767 Great Britain Nov. 27, 1936 543,832 Great Britain Mar. 13, 1942 

